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Bikini Basketball Coming to a Major Metro Area Near You

There’s no denying the fact that viewership of women’s basketball in America is scarce. The average attendance at WNBA games this past season was just less than 7,500 per game, the league’s lowest regular-season average since its creation in 1997. It has not averaged more than 10,000 since 1999.

Cedric Mitchell and AJ McArthur believe they have found a solution to make women’s basketball more exciting: The Bikini Basketball Association. Considering the success that the Lingerie Football League — a 7-on-7 full-contact football league for women in pads and panties — has had since 2009, Mitchell and McArthur decided to bring the same concept to the hardwood.

Tryouts are still in progress for the eight-team league, which will be based in major metro areas around the country: Miami Spice, New York Knockouts, Hollywood Hotties, Orlando Lady Cats, Los Angeles Ice, Chicago Desire, Minnesota Mist and Atlanta Peaches are the official names. The season is slated to start in late spring 2013 with rosters that will feature 14 to 21 players each.

“This is great for women athletes for many reasons,” said McArthur, the league’s commissioner and owner of the Miami Spice. ”Many people hear the name of the league, and many things may cross their mind. But this is a professional league. It’s based on athleticism and talent, not just beauty.”

It’s based on another key part of professional athletics as well: giving back to the community. McArthur spoke with FORBES on Tuesday afternoon as he made his way to downtown Miami, where he and the brand new Spice squad helped feed the homeless for Thanksgiving.

“Every part of this league is positive,” he said.

Mitchell, from Atlanta, and McArthur of the Miami area, first corresponded online. Both run online modeling companies and a unique partnership formed from their shared business interests. McArthur, 26, is also an R&B artist who was featured on BET’s 106 and Park.

McArthur brought up the point that basketball is a sport in which men and women traditionally wear the same uniforms: shorts and jerseys. The Bikini Basketball Association gives women an opportunity to display, as McArthur puts it, that beach body they’ve been working so hard for.

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” he said. “It also pushes health and wellness into the light, and shows younger girls that they can be healthy and athletic and beautiful, all in one.”

The women, however, won’t actually be playing in bikinis, as the league’s name suggests. They’ll wear tight sports bras and spandex shorts — similar to Olympic volleyball or track and field athletes. Some big-name sponsors have reached out to the BBA to become the official outfitter of the league, but the league is keeping that quiet until an official partner has been chosen.

Getting the league started has provided some bumps in the road along the way. The BBA caught flack in September when a flyer for tryouts with the Miami Spice was found to be too risque, and the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system wouldn’t allow tryouts to be held in its schools’ gyms. The Spice was also criticized for revealing a logo that was very similar to the defunct Seattle Supersonics’ logo. They have since altered their logo to look much differently.

As for their skills? Well, they can ball. Along with some players who haven’t touched a ball since high school, tryouts for all teams have featured former Division I college players and women who have played professionally overseas. Some players were chosen for tryouts based on submitted photos and basketball resumes. Others simply showed up to open tryouts — “looks, personality and playing ability” are the three criteria teams looked for, according to the league.

Incorporating sex into athletics is the biggest criticism the BBA receives. McArthur said that was expected.

“We have our goals and we’re keeping our eyes on these goals,” he said. “We’re sticking to our guns and we know (the critics) will come around.”

On the business side of things, the creation of the league has been expensive. “Hundreds of thousands,” is how McArthur puts it. Player contracts and payment structures are still in the works.

“Figuring these things out in the first season will be difficult,” McArthur said. “We want to make sure things are as fair as possible.”

A probable television contract could also be in the mix, providing additional revenue for the league. MTV2 had the licensing rights to the Lingerie Football League. McArthur said several different networks have reached out about broadcasting games, as well as creating reality shows focusing on the league.

But even though there’s a lot of logistics to be worked out between now and when the season starts, the overall goal is clear.

“The main point is that this is a sport that everyone loves, “McArthur said, “and we’re adding a health and beauty aspect to it. It’s going to be fun.”

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